A little over five years ago, for my twenty-first birthday, I made the decision to adopt a pair of chinchillas. It was a long decision in the making. I had researched plenty of pets before landing on chinchillas. Once I dug deeper, it felt like I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what it was about these one pound, fat, squirrel-like rodents that drew me in the way they did. Yet soon enough, I ended up with five chinchillas under my roof.
So what exactly is a chinchilla? For starters, they’re rodents with long ears and an extremely dense fur coat. What sets them apart from a majority of rodents is their lifespan. Chinchillas can live for ten to twenty years. I had a chinchilla who I adopted at age fifteen who lived to be eighteen years old. In his last days, he was still active as ever.
Speaking of being active, chinchillas have a lot of energy for such small animals. My chinchillas are housed in a double level cage from the brand Critter Nation. The cage itself is over five feet tall and gives my boys plenty of space to run from floor to floor. They can jump extremely high for such small animals, making it easy for them to jump around the cage.
Chinchillas still need time outside of the cage. Twice a week, I set up a large area in my living room for them to run around. I block off a good chunk of space with a plastic barrier wall that’s about six feet tall. My most active chinchilla, Sethie, jumps a solid five feet in the air when he’s out for playtime to try and escape the enclosure. Chinchillas are fast and agile, making it super hard to catch them if they are free on the floor.
I feed my chinchillas a diet consisting of Timothy Hay and chinchilla pellets, recommended by the rescue organization I got my chinchillas from. I also give my chinchillas a daily Cheerio for a treat. Chinchillas have large front teeth, so I supply my boys with plenty of wood sticks and structures for them to chew on.
Chinchillas in the wild come from South America in areas where the air is dry and cold. Their dense fur developed from living in those conditions. They cannot get their fur wet due to the density preventing their fur from drying. Instead, chinchillas bathe in sand in the wild. My chinchillas receive a dust bath twice a week to freshen up their fur.
Like any living being, chinchillas have differing personalities and attitudes. One of my chinchillas, Pepper, begs to be held like clockwork every night. He loves human attention and affection. On the other hand, another one of my chinchillas, Chilly, hates to be held. If he sees a hand coming towards him, he will bark and get aggressive. He won’t bite, but he will lunge if he needs to be picked up.
So what’s not to love about chinchillas? They are extremely messy animals. Chinchillas poop almost every minute that they’re awake (trust me, I’ve counted before). Their poops are rock solid, but the amount they excrete quickly adds up. I vacuum my chinchilla area once a day to keep things nice and neat. Once a week, the cages get a deep clean, which can take up to two hours of work.
Chinchillas are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn. If you are looking for a pet to hang out with during the day time, a chinchilla won’t do you any good. I tend to wake up earlier than I need to just so I can spend some time with my chinchillas while they’re most active and willing. During the day, they sleep and will only get up to eat and drink. It can be frustrating when you want to cuddle a chinchilla in the afternoon and they’re not up for it.
Chinchillas are a huge part of my life. I currently have no other pets in my home besides four chinchillas. For two years, I fostered chinchillas from a rescue that has since closed their doors. I had the opportunity to rehabilitate a few chinchillas who came from negligent homes. The rescue world is tough to participate in, especially when you see firsthand how people can treat these animals.
Chinchillas are not for everyone, especially households with young children. I specifically got chinchillas knowing how finicky they were more than willing to adapt to their quirks. If you are looking for an easy pet to care for, I would not recommend a chinchilla. A lot of research should be done prior to even thinking about getting one.
If you are looking for a long term pet commitment, then I would suggest looking into chinchillas. They have enhanced my life for the better.
